Parry Shen (born June 26, 1973) is an American actor, author, screenwriter, and producer. Shen's first major acting role was in '' Better Luck Tomorrow'' as Ben Manibag, the film's leading character. He also starred in another Asian American film, '' Surrogate Valentine''. He has since starred in the horror film ''
Hatchet
A hatchet (from the Old French , a diminutive form of ''hache'', 'axe' of Germanic origin) is a single-handed striking tool with a sharp blade on one side used to cut and split wood, and a hammerhead on the other side. Hatchets may also be use ...
'' and its sequels ''
Hatchet II
''Hatchet II'' is a 2010 American slasher film written and directed by Adam Green. It is the sequel to Green's film, ''Hatchet'' and the second installment in the ''Hatchet'' film series.
Picking up right where the first film ended, ''Hatchet II ...
'', ''
Hatchet III
''Hatchet III'' is a 2013 American slasher film written by Adam Green and directed by B. J. McDonnell. It is the sequel to Adam Green's ''Hatchet'' and '' Hatchet II'', and the third installment in the ''Hatchet'' film series. Kane Hodder portr ...
'', and ''
Victor Crowley
''Hatchet'' is an American horror franchise created by Adam Green, that consists of four slasher films. The main antagonist in the series is Victor Crowley, a deformed boy who was kept hidden from the world by his father. One Halloween, a grou ...
''. He had a recurring role as Tyler Li in the television series ''
Tru Calling
''Tru Calling'' is an American Supernatural fiction, supernatural Drama (film and television), drama television series that aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. Original episodes aired between October 30, 2003, and April 21, 2005; however, the ...
''. Since 2013, he has portrayed the role of Brad Cooper on ''
General Hospital
''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...
''.
He is also known for his voice acting in the video games '' Sleeping Dogs'' and ''
Mortal Kombat X
''Mortal Kombat X'' is a 2015 fighting video game developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is the tenth main installment in the ''Mortal Kom ...
''.
Early life
Shen was born June 26, 1973, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, in the
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle Ag ...
of
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
. He went to
Archbishop Molloy High School
Archbishop Molloy High School (also called Molloy, Archbishop Molloy, or AMHS) is a co-educational, college preparatory, Catholic school for grades 9-12, located on on 83-53 Manton Street, Briarwood, Queens, New York. It is part of the Roman Cath ...
, then an all-boys (but now co-educational) Roman Catholic school in Briarwood, in Queens, New York, and at the
University at Buffalo
The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...
. His mother is from
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
. His father is from
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
. When he moved to California, he worked as a dorm parent at
Villanova Preparatory School
Villanova Preparatory School (commonly known as Villanova Prep) is an Augustinian Catholic co-ed day and boarding school in Ojai, California, United States. Sitting on more than , the campus contains two dormitories, a chapel, trails, and assort ...
, a private
college preparatory
A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily designed to prepare students for higher education ...
school in
Ojai
Ojai ( ; Chumash: ''’Awhaỳ'') is a city in Ventura County, California. Located in the Ojai Valley, it is northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara. The valley is part of the east–west trending Western Transverse Ranges and is ...
. Shen is of
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
descent and can speak
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...
.
Career
Acting
Shen is best known as the lead character, Ben Manibag, in
Justin Lin
Justin Lin (, born October 11, 1971) is a Taiwanese Americans, Taiwanese-American film director. His films have grossed US$2.3 billion worldwide as of March 2017. He is best known for his directorial work on ''Better Luck Tomorrow'' (2002), the ...
's seminal Asian American film, '' Better Luck Tomorrow'' (2002). Shen was also a main part of the cast of ''
Hatchet
A hatchet (from the Old French , a diminutive form of ''hache'', 'axe' of Germanic origin) is a single-handed striking tool with a sharp blade on one side used to cut and split wood, and a hammerhead on the other side. Hatchets may also be use ...
Hatchet II
''Hatchet II'' is a 2010 American slasher film written and directed by Adam Green. It is the sequel to Green's film, ''Hatchet'' and the second installment in the ''Hatchet'' film series.
Picking up right where the first film ended, ''Hatchet II ...
'' and ''
Hatchet III
''Hatchet III'' is a 2013 American slasher film written by Adam Green and directed by B. J. McDonnell. It is the sequel to Adam Green's ''Hatchet'' and '' Hatchet II'', and the third installment in the ''Hatchet'' film series. Kane Hodder portr ...
''. Shen has appeared in Ed Decter's ''
The New Guy
''The New Guy'' is a 2002 American teen comedy film directed by Ed Decter, written by David Kendall and starring DJ Qualls and Eliza Dushku.
The film tells the story of high school loser Dizzy Harrison (Qualls) who gets himself expelled so that ...
'' (2002) opposite
DJ Qualls
Donald Joseph Qualls (born June 10, 1978) is an American actor. He is best known for his work in films including ''Road Trip'' (2000), ''The New Guy'' (2002) and ''The Core'' (2003), and for several appearances on television series such as '' B ...
and
Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Claire Deschanel (; born January 17, 1980) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She made her film debut in '' Mumford'' (1999) and had a supporting role in Cameron Crowe's film '' Almost Famous'' (2000). Deschanel is known for h ...
(as Glen). Shen also appears as the lead husband character, Luke, in Richard Wong's ''Yes We're Open'' opposite
Lynn Chen
Lynn Chen () is a Taiwanese-American actress and singer. She is best known for playing Vivian Shing in the film ''Saving Face (2004 film), Saving Face'', a role for which she won the "Outstanding Newcomer Award" at the 2006 Asian Excellence Awar ...
and in
Dave Boyle
Dave Boyle (born 1982) is an American director, writer, editor, and actor. He has written and directed several movies that utilize primarily Asian or Asian-American casts, including the feature films ''Big Dreams Little Tokyo'' (2006), ''White ...
The Gene Generation
''The Gene Generation'' is a 2007 biopunk science fiction film about an assassin who battles DNA hackers. The film was directed by Pearry Reginald Teo, and stars Bai Ling, Parry Shen, Faye Dunaway, and Alec Newman.
Synopsis
In a futuristic wor ...
'' (as Jackie, the brother of
Bai Ling
Bai Ling (, born October 10, 1966) is a Chinese-American actress known for her work in the films ''The Crow'', ''Nixon'', ''Red Corner'', '' Crank: High Voltage'', ''Dumplings'', ''Wild Wild West'', ''Anna and the King'', ''Southland Tales'', and ...
's character), and Eric Shapiro's ''Rule of 3'' (2008) (as David).
Shen has appeared on the TV shows '' NCIS: Los Angeles'' (as Ty), ''
MADTv
''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series originally inspired by '' Mad'' magazine. In its initial run, it aired on Fox from 1995 to 2009. After a one-off reunion show in 2015 to celebrate the twentiet ...
'' (as Chin-Hwa Dak), ''
Criminal Minds
''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis (writer), Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was r ...
Veronica Mars
''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen noir mystery drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the eponymous character. The series prem ...
'' (as Hsiang 'Charleston' Chu), ''
Thief
Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...
'' (as Billy 'Shrimp Boy' Kwan), ''
Without a Trace
''Without a Trace'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Hank Steinberg that aired on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009 with the total of seven seasons and 160 episodes. The series focuses the cases of ...
'' (as Steven Park), ''
Tru Calling
''Tru Calling'' is an American Supernatural fiction, supernatural Drama (film and television), drama television series that aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. Original episodes aired between October 30, 2003, and April 21, 2005; however, the ...
'' (as Tyler Li), ''
Holliston Holliston may refer to:
* Holliston, Saskatoon, Canada
*Holliston, Massachusetts, USA
**Holliston High School, a secondary school in Holliston, Massachusetts
* ''Holliston'' (TV series), a television show on Fearnet, set in Holliston, Massachusetts
...
'' (as Trent), ''
NCIS (TV series)
''NCIS'' is an American police procedural television series, revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service combining elements of the military drama and police procedural genres. The concept ...
'' (as Ben Richmond), ''
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and first appear ...
'' (as Seth), ''
Party of Five
''Party of Five'' is an American television teen and family drama created by Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman that originally aired on Fox for six seasons from September 12, 1994, to May 3, 2000. The series featured an ensemble cast led by Sc ...
'' (as Kyle), ''
Cousin Skeeter
''Cousin Skeeter'' is an American children's sitcom, that originally aired on Nickelodeon from 1998 to 2001. It starred Robert Ri'chard as Bobby, a young boy whose life changed when his strange cousin Skeeter came to live with his family. With Sk ...
'' (as Billy Blowfield), ''
Chicago Hope
''Chicago Hope'' is an American medical drama television series, created by David E. Kelley. It originally aired on CBS from September 18, 1994, to May 4, 2000. The series is set in a fictional private charitable hospital in Chicago, Illinois.
...
'' (as Harry Lensky), ''
The King of Queens
''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, a total of nine seasons and 207 episodes. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who also served as the show ...
'' (as stockboy), ''
Malibu, CA
Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malibu ...
'' (as Kip), ''
Beverly Hills 90210
''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran fo ...
'' (as Staffer), ''
Suddenly Susan
''Suddenly Susan'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from September 19, 1996, to December 26, 2000. The series was created by Clyde Phillips and starred Brooke Shields in her first regular series. Shields played Susan Keane, ...
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...
'' (as student). Shen also played various characters on the TV series ''Asia Street Comedy'' (2004).
Shen also voices the character Takeda Takahashi in "
Mortal Kombat X
''Mortal Kombat X'' is a 2015 fighting video game developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is the tenth main installment in the ''Mortal Kom ...
Far Cry 3
''Far Cry 3'' is a 2012 first-person shooter game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the third main installment in the ''Far Cry'' series after ''Far Cry 2''. The game takes place on the fictional Rook Islands, a tro ...
'' (2012).
On May 6, 2013, Shen debuted in the
recurring role
A recurring character is a fictional character, usually in a prime time TV series, who frequently appears from time to time during the series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in more than one episode, sometimes being the main foc ...
General Hospital
''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...
''. He will be in the upcoming feature film ''Automation''.
The New Press
The New Press is an independent non-profit public-interest book publisher established in 1992 by André Schiffrin
Screenwriting and producing
Shen has written and produced the feature film entitled ''Unidentified'' (2013), directed by Jason Richard Miller.
Speaking engagements
Shen speaks at numerous universities about the
entertainment industry
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have dev ...
and shares his experiences as an
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...
in the media.
Personal life
Shen has been married to his wife, Kim, since August 2, 2002, and they have two daughters.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video Games
References
Notes
#
David DeCoteau
David DeCoteau (born January 5, 1962) is an American-Canadians, Canadian film director and film producer, producer.
Biography
Early life
David DeCoteau was born on January 5, 1962, in Portland, Oregon.
Career
He has worked professionally in th ...